


The Librarian Gets His Wish

by literaryoblivion



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alfie is a kid in this, Alternate Universe, Fluff, Ice Cream, Librarian Castiel, Library Sex, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Original Character(s), POV Alternating, Sexual Content, and Anna is his mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-04-17 11:41:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,991
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4665225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryoblivion/pseuds/literaryoblivion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel wouldn’t necessarily say that it was the only reason he became a librarian, but it definitely became a secret desire the longer he worked as one. In his logical mind, it was ridiculous, impractical, indecent, and rude. Despite all the reasons he gave himself for not doing it, it still didn’t stop his subconscious from manifesting dreams of himself with a faceless person, sweating, breathing heavy, and half-naked in between the shelves of the nonfiction section.</p><p>They are always faceless. That is, until he meets Dean Winchester.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lemonsorbae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemonsorbae/gifts).



> This is for my darling [Fea's](http://nestingdean.tumblr.com) birthday! This fic has been a long time coming, but apparently this is my M.O. I dust off an old Dean/Cas WIP and then finish it to give to you. LOL. Anyway, hope you like it! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
> 
> Thanks to [M](http://mad-madam-m.tumblr.com) and [Carrie](http://bleep0bleep.tumblr.com) for the beta!

Castiel wouldn’t necessarily say that it was the only reason he became a librarian, but it definitely became a secret desire the longer he worked as one. In his logical mind, it was ridiculous, impractical, indecent, and rude. Despite all the reasons he gave himself for _not_ doing it, it still didn’t stop his subconscious from manifesting dreams of himself with a faceless person, sweating, breathing heavy, and half-naked in between the shelves of the nonfiction section. 

Every time he’d wake up, he’d try to shake the images from his mind and tell himself that he couldn’t let it happen, that it’d never happen because not only would it be incredibly irresponsible and he’d get fired (which he didn’t need because there was no other library around for miles and he liked where he lived), but there was no one in his life it could even happen with.

The pickings were slim for a gay librarian who kept to himself in a small town, which is why even in his dreams it was always some blurry-faced man with the body of someone very built that he might have seen in some muscle magazine he had put away at the library. 

Other than this fantasy that plagued him, he loved his job, and he was damn good at it. When he had first gotten hired, the library’s collection was incredibly outdated; they didn’t even have the entire Harry Potter series, which Castiel saw as a true travesty. They only had one computer, which looked like it was still operating DOS, and wi-fi hadn’t even been heard of.

And oh, the late fees! After taking a look at all the books that had still not been returned (some having incurred hundreds of dollars because they had been late for _years_ ), he decided to declare all of them lost and made everyone’s slate clean, forgiving all the late fees.

It had taken a few years, several meetings with the city council, and a couple of fundraisers, but Castiel had turned the library into a well-oiled machine, a reader’s haven. They had a cozy children’s section with bean bags and a few giant stuffed animals, brand new computers that could access the Internet and run the newest operating system, and free wi-fi was available throughout the library.

He had gotten an updated system to track check-outs and check-ins, and he always tried to stay on top of those who were incurring late fees. He didn’t like charging people, so as a common courtesy, he had started calling people with late books to remind them to return it. Everyone seemed to like the phone call, so he continued doing it, which decreased the number of books he lost and amount of money he would have to charge.

Castiel loved his job, and he enjoyed welcoming and talking to everyone that came in. He had really established himself in the town, and the last thing he needed was to be run out of his job and his home because he couldn’t keep his libido in check.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time it happened, it had been an accident.

Dean had gotten a few books for his niece, Mary, while she was visiting him while her parents, his brother Sam and wife Jess, had taken a much-needed romantic getaway weekend. When Dean had asked Bobby, his boss at the auto shop, for the weekend off, he also asked if he had any suggestions on how to entertain a six-year-old girl. Bobby told him to take her to the storytime at the library because his grandson had loved it.

Lucky for Dean, Mary was just like her daddy and had begged to go back to the library every day she had stayed with him.

The first day they went, they had missed storytime by an hour, but Mary didn’t seem to mind. She quickly found a stack of books for Dean to check out and take home with them.

The next day, they made it for storytime, and Dean was just as mesmerized at the reader as the children were. And apparently Dean wasn’t alone either, because when he quickly glanced around, all the mothers in the room were staring lustfully at the librarian, hanging on his every word.

The librarian read the story with such passion, like he was reading it for the first time, just like the children. He had a good pace and made sure everyone saw the picture before he turned the page. Dean couldn’t help but focus on the man’s eyes as they moved back and forth, reading the words in front of him. They were a piercing blue, and Dean feared that if the guy ever looked at him straight on, his heart would stop. 

He tried to listen to the story instead, remembering he was there with his niece (which really all these women should remember they were married with children, too). But, this only made Dean think about the librarian’s deep voice echoing in his ears as he read. Before Dean could fantasize more about hearing that voice in bed, the story was finished and everyone was clapping, thank god.

After the children dispersed, Mary had found a few more books, including the one the librarian had just read. Then, they went home for Dean to read them all to her multiple times (because Dean still wasn’t getting the voices right like the librarian had) until she fell asleep. 

Once Mary had left, Dean had thought he had gathered all the books they had checked out and returned them; well, all but one, apparently.

When he checked his voicemail and began listening to the message, he almost had a heart attack. He’d recognize the voice on the message anywhere. It was the librarian. He was calling about a late book, asking Dean to return it so he could avoid a late fee.

While searching all over his house for the lost book, Dean may or may not have replayed the message multiple times and made sure to save it to listen to later whenever he wanted. He finally found the book underneath the bed Mary had stayed in and then had an internal debate about when he should actually return it.

He kept telling himself that it was stupid to keep the book until he could go to the library and hand it in personally to maybe possibly see the librarian. And after he convinced himself of this, he drove to the already closed library and placed it in the night-time drop off slot. He then thought he’d have to make time later to go to the library himself; he really could use a rereading of that Vonnegut novel he didn’t own.


	3. Chapter 3

The second time it had happened had been mostly an accident.

Dean had in fact made time to go to the library and check out the Vonnegut novel, but to his dismay, the blue-eyed, deep-voiced librarian was nowhere to be found. Dean tried not to feel disappointed about this. It wasn’t like he could expect the guy to be there when Dean was; the dude probably had the night off or it wasn’t his shift or something. And then Dean realized he was making excuses for him and tried to stop.

He was there to check out a book, not a librarian.

And Dean thought if he said it to himself enough times, then it would be true.

Since there was really no reason for him to stick around the library (because he was more of the read at home type, _not_ because the sexy librarian was absent), he quickly checked out _Cat’s Cradle_ and a few mechanics books he had grabbed when he was trying to inconspicuously look for the librarian. He was too lazy to put them back, and they looked like they might be interesting, so he checked them out, too. 

Only, he’d never actually looked at those mechanics books, and he had just thrown them in the back of his car and had completely forgotten about them.

He had reread the Vonnegut novel just fine and returned it because he was a good responsible adult who knew about return dates and could stick to them. (Except for those mechanics books that had now fallen underneath the back seat.)

This time when he got the voicemail, Dean was a mixture of confusion and happiness. Confusion because he was pretty sure he had returned that book—oh wait, he had checked out more than one, huh?—and happiness because the way that the librarian, Castiel according to the message, said Dean’s name sounded incredibly sexy.

Dean decided that this time around he was going to man up and take the books to the library when they were open and introduce himself to the man whose voice he couldn’t get enough of.

~

Locating the forgotten books wasn’t much trouble, so as soon as he got off work at the shop, he drove to the library. On the drive, he cursed the fact he didn’t have time to go home and shower and change before he went. There was no way he could make it back in time before the library closed. Yes, he had memorized the library hours, and on Fridays they closed early.

He pulled up into the lot and panicked a little when he only saw two or three cars in the lot. Had they already closed? He checked his watch and knew he had a good twenty minutes before closing time, and then he remembered that other people who weren’t losers who pined after librarians probably had better things to do than be at the library on a Friday night.

Before he got out of the car, he checked how he looked in the rearview mirror. He had tried his best to wash the grease stains off his hands, but he was still in his uniform, and he couldn’t quite remove the smear of oil that had somehow found its way to his cheek. After trying to rub it off for a good minute, which did nothing but make the skin around the stain red, he thought _screw it_ and grabbed the books. 

While he pulled open the first set of doors to the library, he tried to put on an air of nonchalance, striding in like he was just coming in to return those books, possibly grab a random one just because and then walk back out. Not what he was actually there to do, which was to track down the sexy librarian and ask him out for a drink.

But, then a thought occurred to him. What if Castiel (which was another thing he wanted to ask him about preferably over dinner, where a name like that even came from) told him “No, thanks?”

Or worse. What if Castiel told him “Hell no, because I am not gay, you creep.” Ok, so Castiel didn’t strike Dean as the type of guy that would be quite that rude about brushing someone off, but it was clear that Dean hadn’t thought about the possibility that not only could Dean not be his type but that this librarian could be straight.

Maybe he had a girlfriend even? Dean didn’t recall seeing a ring, and yeah he had looked because that’s the first thing you do when you find yourself becoming attracted to someone. Gotta make sure they’re on the market. But just because he didn’t have a ring didn’t mean he wasn’t in someone’s basket. And wow, this metaphor was getting really weird.

Then again, no, there had been plenty of attractive women at that storytime who all clearly wanted a piece of him, and it was a small enough town that he recognized a few from seeing them at the shop and knew they were single. Castiel, however, seemed to not pay them any attention, even when they were so obvious in their flirting and hair flipping.

Dean had kind of admired him actually, because Castiel would just turn his attention to the small child next to them and talk to the kid instead of the mom. It had been a nice way of showing his disinterest without being rude, because who’s going to be mad at you for not flirting with you when they’re being nice and paying attention to your kid?

Still, this didn’t mean that Castiel was gay. And that’d be kind of an awkward lead in question, wouldn’t it? “So hey, I find you incredibly attractive, and I fall asleep to your voice, but before I come on to you any more, you’re gay, right?” 

Dean was too busy having his internal conflict standing in the breezeway outside the library’s second set of entrance doors to notice that the last remaining people in the library were starting to clear out and move past him. Most of them gave him an odd glance like he had escaped from the insane asylum. It wasn’t until a little boy who looked like he was about ten years old tugged on his pants to get his attention that Dean came back to earth.

“Hey? Hey, mister?” the little boy said. Dean shook his head in an attempt to clear his head and looked down at the kid.

“Uh, yeah?” Dean said.

“Do you want me to put those books in the slot for you?” said the boy pointing to the two mechanics books in Dean’s hand.

“What? Oh, no, I’m okay. Thanks.”

“Are you sure? Cause you kind of look like my grandpa when he’s forgotten something.” Dean frowned involuntarily at the comment that he looks like a grandpa, and seeing his face, the boy quickly added, “I mean just the look in your eyes. You’re not like super old or anything.”

Dean laughed, “Thanks, kid. No, I was just trying to decide if I had time to get another book or not.” It was a lie, but this kid didn’t need to know that he had the hots for the librarian and was trying to talk himself into acting on it.

“Hmmm… Unless you know what you want and where it is, probably not. They are closing up, and I was the last person in line to check out. But, maybe you can still go in and get something? Mr. Novak is really nice; I’m sure he’d let you.”

“Mr. Novak?”

“He’s the head librarian. He’s really cool and lets me hang out here after school. And he’s read like a million things, so he always gives me things to read he thinks I’d like.”

“Sounds like he’s pretty awesome,” said Dean, wondering if this Mr. Novak had the first name Castiel.

“He is.” Then the little boy turned back to the library for a moment and then looked back to Dean. “Come on,” he said as he grabbed Dean’s free hand and pulled him to the entrance. 

Obligingly, Dean followed the little boy through the doors and into the library. He didn’t know why this kid was being so nice; did he look that pathetic that he needed some ten-year-old to show him how the library worked? Oh man, he really was a grandpa; clearly this little boy felt so sorry for him that he needed to take him by the hand and help him. Dean didn’t know whether to accept this nice and kind gesture or be incredibly embarrassed by it.

The little boy, which Dean realized sounded creepy but the kid hadn’t said his name so he didn’t know what else to call him, guided him to the main check out desk. Dean was taking quick glances around, hoping that there really wasn’t anyone in the library to see him being led by some random kid. No one was at the counter, and he was about to tell the little boy that it was too late and he’d come back another day when he heard someone approach.

From behind him, he heard the voice that had played a key role in his recent dreams. “Alfie, what are you doing back in here? I thought you already checked out and left. We’re closing up, and the computer is already shut down. You’ll have to come back tomorrow for _The Lightning Thief_.”

“Oh, I know. I’m not checking out anything else today, Mr. Novak. I found this guy outside, and he looked like he needed some help,” replied the little boy, no, Alfie apparently. Dean still hadn’t turned around to see Mr. Novak, and now that Alfie had just implied that Dean was some homeless bum, which knowing his appearance did nothing to discount this fact, he really didn’t want to turn around now.

“Oh, really?” said Mr. Novak. He looked up to Dean, whose back was to him. “What can I help you with, sir?”

Slowly, Dean turned around to face him, and yup, Mr. Novak was just as handsome and attractive as the first time Dean saw him. That first time had left Dean an internal mess and he hadn’t even spoken to the guy. Now he was talking and staring at Dean with those goddamn unnaturally blue eyes, and Dean was positive he wasn’t going to recover from this meeting.

“Sir? Are you alright? Should I call someone for you?” asked Mr. Novak, his brows furrowed in concern. Great, Dean was so stunned he couldn’t speak, and now the librarian of his dreams was probably  thinking he’s lost his mind, which okay he has but not in the crazy, need-someone-to-feed-him sort of way. _Dean, you idiot, say something before someone calls the hospital to see if they’re missing a patient._  

“Uh, no. I mean, I’m alright. I just uh…,” Dean paused. Why was he at the library again? Books right? That’s what libraries are for, yes?

The librarian looked down at the books in Dean’s hand. “You didn’t have to come in to return those. We have a slot outside.”

Dean is still staring dumbfounded at the man, and he’s trying to will himself to snap out of it and act normal. Sensing that there might be something wrong, Castiel adds, “But since you already came in, I can go ahead and take those from you if you’d like?” He held his hands out, waiting for Dean to pass him the books still clutched in his grip.

“Oh, yeah, um thanks. I just… uh… I got a call saying they were late, so I just wanted to make sure they were, you know, in.” Dean lifted his hand with the books and gingerly placed them in Mr. Novak’s outstretched hand, and maybe their fingers brushed when he did, but that didn’t cause any panic in Dean at all.

After he accepted the books, the librarian smiled at Dean, and Dean tried his best to keep his cool. He was losing all his brain functions and really was turning into a grandpa because for the life of him he couldn’t remember the real reason why he had come to the library.

“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll make sure they are checked in,” said Mr. Novak. He stood, books in his arms, waiting for Dean to take the hint and turn around and leave, only he couldn’t. He was supposed to do something else besides return those books, but what was it? Something about drinking, which after this whole exchange he was going to need a great deal of alcohol, that’s for sure.

Suddenly, a warm hand was on his shoulder, and Dean’s head snapped to it and then looked up at the librarian who was now standing closer to him, his brow furrowed again in worry. “Are you sure you’re okay? Is there anything else I can help you with?” And Dean had to bite back the urge to say something incredibly dirty and inappropriate in response because he really didn’t know the guy, he was in a library, and they were both standing in front of a ten-year-old kid. Oh yeah… the kid. 

“He said he wanted to check something else out, but I already told him you had closed,” piped up Alfie, looking up at Dean and Castiel, completely unaware of the mental anguish Dean was suffering and instead trying, unknowingly, to help the poor guy out. This Alfie kid was good and nice, and if Dean made it out of this with some dignity thanks to his help, he was going to buy the kid an ice cream. 

“Alfie’s right, I’m afraid,” Castiel said. “We open at ten tomorrow, though, so please come back then.”

And the man was still smiling at Dean, with his hand still on his shoulder, and again because Dean who wasn’t thinking clearly and hadn’t for the past five minutes blurted out, “Will you be here tomorrow?” Oh god, did Dean really just say that? He should just crawl in a hole now.

However, Castiel’s eyes glistened a bit, and he gave Dean’s shoulder a tiny squeeze before removing his hand. “Indeed I will. I can help you find whatever you may need tomorrow.” 

“Okay. Then… I’ll come… tomorrow,” Dean stuttered out. God, someone shoot him.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, too, Mr. Novak,” said Alfie, pulling on Dean’s hand to lead him back out the doors. Man, this kid was an angel. How did he know?

“Goodbye, Alfie, and…” Castiel said, waiting for a response.

“Dean,” he called back, already several feet away thanks to the kid. “My name’s Dean.”

Castiel smiled. “Goodbye, Dean. See you guys tomorrow.”

Dean gave him a wave, which he immediately felt ridiculous and cheesy for, but thankfully, Alfie was pushing open the doors to get them both outside.

“God, that was embarrassing,” Dean muttered, rubbing his hands over his face once he and the kid were standing outside, the doors securely shut behind them.

“It’s okay.” Alfie patted Dean on the arm. “Mr. Novak is really good at finding books you like. He can help you.”

Dean chuckled. “Thanks, kid. Alfie, was it?” 

He smiled. “Yup!” Alife took a few steps away over to a bike that was propped up against the side of the building.“I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Dean. I better get home.”

Dean nodded and watched Alfie as he kicked back the stand on his bike and hopped on. “See you tomorrow!” Dean yelled back with a wave as Alfie started peddling away. The kid held up his hand in acknowledgment and turned the corner, leaving Dean alone in front of the library.

He looked back through the windows briefly, but there was no sign of Castiel. Dean strode back to his car and got in. While he drove home, he was grateful he was working the afternoon shift at the garage the next day. He’d be able to make a stop at the library and ask Castiel out (hopefully, if he didn’t put his foot in his mouth again like he did today), or at least get his opinion on some books, and then go into work by noon.

Of course this all would have been perfectly executed if Dean had remembered to turn on his alarm…

He wasn’t usually someone who slept in late, but he ended up staying up to watch a Star Trek marathon and didn’t go to bed until four in the morning. When he finally dragged himself out of bed, it was already eleven o’clock. It wasn’t ideal, but the library was on the way to the garage, so he could at least make a quick stop to say hi, and he was Bobby’s favorite, so he wouldn’t mind if Dean was a little late if he brought food as a bribe.

Dean took the fastest shower of his life, threw on his work uniform, and hightailed it to the library. When he got there, he spotted Alfie’s bike propped against the bike rack, and inside he could see Castiel at the central desk.

Alfie waved hello as he spotted Dean coming into the building, and Dean smiled and returned the wave. Castiel was busy talking to a mom who looked like a book was the last thing she was wanting from him. Dean stood back and waited for their conversation to finish, unsure what he was even going to say to Castiel.

Finally the woman left with a huff, and now with a clear look at Castiel’s face, Dean could tell that Castiel would not be in the mood for a little harmless flirting with him, let alone tolerate Dean asking him out.

“Didn’t have the book she wanted?” Dean asked, leaning his elbow on the counter.

Castiel shook his head. “She’s been…” Castiel paused, like he’s thinking that perhaps he shouldn’t tell Dean how he really felt about this woman, “...difficult. I don’t believe she is actually interested in books.” 

Dean chuckled. “No, she seems more interested in the man that handles them…”

Castiel flushed, and God, he was adorable. He cleared his throat before speaking to Dean. “Anyway, how can I help you today? Did you think of the books you were looking for last night?” 

“Uh, I was hoping for some suggestions, actually? I tend to stick to the same books I’ve read, but I’m thinking I might need to branch out… try something new?”

Castiel smiled and nodded. “I… actually may have taken the liberty to choose a few after you came in last night? You like Vonnegut, yes?”

Dean bobbed his head, grinning. Should he take that to mean something? That Cas remembered (or looked up most likely) what books Dean had checked out before and picked a few he might like? He didn’t think he should think anything of it; Cas was doing his job after all, but it was still nice.

Castiel bent down to retrieve a small stack of books he had reserved for Dean, and Dean resisted with everything he had not to lean over the counter to check out Castiel’s ass as he bent over.

There were four or five books in the pile, but before Cas could explain each one and why he thought Dean might like it, Dean blurted, “I’ll take them.” 

“I… well I’m not sure you’d like them all?”

Dean glanced at his watch, knowing if he stayed any longer, Bobby wasn’t going to cut him any slack.

“I trust you, Cas. I’m sure they’re great. I have to get going though, so… I’ll just check them all out and let you know how they are?”

Castiel gave him a nod in understanding. “Alright, do you have your card?”

Dean whipped out his wallet and handed Cas his library card. Once Castiel had scanned them all and stamped them, he pushed the stack toward Dean, his library card sticking out of the first book.

“These are due back in two weeks,” Castiel said.

“Got it. Thanks for picking these for me.” Dean gave him a quick smile and tucked the stack under his arm. He gave Castiel a wink and turned to leave, only to see Alfie frowning at him, standing a few feet away.

“Are you leaving already? You just got here!”

“Yeah, sorry, buddy. I gotta go to work.”

Alfie pouted even more, then sighed. “Okay. See you.”

The look on the kid’s face was so sad and disappointed, and it broke Dean’s heart. He didn’t know what this kid’s home life was like, but there must be a reason Alfie was always hanging out at the library and buddy-buddy with the librarian. The thing was, Dean really couldn’t stay, but he could at least promise to see him later.

Dean put a hand on his shoulder to get Alfie’s attention, since he’d already turned away from Dean and was walking back to his pile of books on a nearby table.

“Tell you what, Alfie, I get off at five. Will you still be here?”

Alfie’s face brightened a little. “The library closes then, but sometimes Mr. Novak lets me stay to help him shelve books…”

“If it’s okay with you, I can meet you here, and we can get ice cream or something?”

“Really?!” Alfie asked, smiling wide, his eyes large.

“Of course. I’ll be here. Have Mr. Novak let you borrow his phone, and call your parents first to make sure it’s okay. Then, call me,” Dean pulled out his wallet again and pulled out a business card. “If it’s alright with them, we’ll go.”

“Okay! Thanks, Mr. Dean,” Alfie said, accepting the card Dean held out to him. Dean smiled and ruffled his hair before heading towards the doors. He caught Castiel giving him a considering look, but he really did not have the time to analyze it. He gave another smile and wave and left the library.

~

Dean had mostly forgotten the promise to the kid while he was at work. Bobby didn’t give him too hard a time when he showed up fifteen minutes late; the sandwiches he picked up on the way to work helped a great deal, he was sure. The line of cars waiting to be worked on was enough to distract him from any thoughts of books, librarians, and troubled kids, and he was grateful.

He was underneath a beautiful Camaro when Bobby kicked his foot to get his attention.

“Hey, there’s some kid on the phone asking for you. Since when did you get a kid?” Bobby said after Dean rolled out from under the car.

“He’s not mine! I met him at the library. Nice kid.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Dean Winchester befriending small children who aren’t related to him? You part of some Big Brothers program or somethin’?”

Dean rolled his eyes and held out his hand. “No. Give me the damn phone.”

Bobby sighed and gave the phone to Dean. He gave him a calculating look, then shrugged and walked back to his desk to help a customer who had just arrived.

“Hello, this is Dean.”

“Mr. Dean? Hi. This is Alfie. From the library…”

“Yeah, Alfie, I remember. So, did you ask your parents?”

“It’s just my mom. My dad… is gone.”

“Oh. Uh, what’d your mom say then?” 

“Well, she had to talk to Mr. Novak first to make sure you weren’t scary, but after that she said it was fine as long as I was home by eight.”

“I can work with that.”

“Uh, there’s something else…”

“What’s that?”

“Um, so my mom said because she doesn’t know you, she said I can’t go alone with you? But, Mr. Novak says that he can…”

Alfie’s voice got quieter, like he pulled the phone away from his mouth, but Dean could still hear him ask “What was the word you said?” and then Castiel said,

“Accompany, it means I can go with you.”

Alfie came back on the line. “Mr. Novak says that he can accompany us to get ice cream." 

“Sounds great! I’ll try to be there as close to five as I can. Tell Mr. Novak I’ll probably be there close to five twenty or so.”

“Okay! I’ll tell him. Goodbye, Mr. Dean.”

“Bye, Alfie.”

Dean hung up the phone, unable to hide the tiny smile from his face. It wasn’t exactly how he had planned to ask out Cas, but him going with Dean and Alfie was kind of perfect. He’d get to know Cas, and with Alfie there he could at least keep himself in check and maybe not embarrass himself.

“What are you grinning about?” Bobby said, coming back into the garage to take the phone back from Dean. 

“Nothing.”

“Then get back to work!” Bobby said gruffly, although Dean knew there was no heat behind it.

“Alright, hey, Bobby? Any chance I could cut out a little early today?”

Bobby scowled at him. “You already came in late today.”

“I’ll come in tomorrow and finish up the Camaro. Didn’t you say that guy has been hounding you about it?” 

“Yeah, told him we hadn’t gotten the parts yet.”

“They came in today. I’ve been working on it, but I can help out with the line today and come in tomorrow to finish it up. You can call the guy on Monday and tell him to get it. Charge him some rush fees…”

Bobby raised an eyebrow. “Was already planning on it. Alright. You come in tomorrow and you can leave here when we close.”

“Thanks, Bobby.”

“Yeah, yeah, stop yammerin’ and go help Ash with the line,” Bobby said, waving him off and walking back inside his office.

Dean liked having his Sundays off, but he also enjoyed having the garage to himself. He could pick whatever music he wanted and be alone with his work. He always worked better that way. Plus, he was getting off to spend time with Cas, which was worth the extra work, in his opinion.

~

Before Ash had finished with the last customer, Dean was already going to his car to pull out a change of clothes from his trunk. He carried them into the bathroom and changed. He did his best to scrub off the dirt and grease from his hands and face, knowing he was still going to smell like the garage until he could shower properly that night.

Taking one last look in the mirror, Dean decided that was as clean as he could get, seeing as it was almost five. He emerged from the bathroom, his work coveralls in a bundle in his hand. He waved goodbye to Bobby through his office window, who rolled his eyes and gave him a shooing gesture in return, and then yelled goodbye to Ash, who was handing off the keys to the last customer.

He made record time getting back to the library, pulling up right when Castiel was waving goodbye to the straggling patrons and locking the doors. Dean didn’t bother parking in a space, leaving his car by the curb in front of the entrance. He approached Castiel, who was waiting with the door open.

“I thought you wouldn’t be here till twenty after,” Castiel said when Dean was standing in front of him.

“I was able to get off a little earlier.”

Castiel nodded and hummed his understanding. He opened the door wider for Dean. “I still have a few things I need to finish up. You can wait inside here with Alfie.”

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean said, sliding past Castiel and into the library. Alfie was sitting at the check-out desk, a pile of books in front of him in a pile. It looked like he was stamping them before putting them in another pile beside him. Cas must have put him to work.

Dean stepped in closer to the desk, not bothering to wait for Castiel to finish locking the doors.

“Heya, buddy, whatcha doing?” Dean asked, leaning against the counter in front of Alfie.

“Mr. Dean! You’re back!”

“Yup. And hey, kid, you can just call me Dean.”

Alfie grinned. “Dean. Okay. Mr. Novak is having me help him finish stamping these books.”

“Sounds fun.”

Alfie bobbed his head. “I’m almost done. Then we can go?”

“Yup,” Dean said, looking up at Castiel, who was standing behind Alfie at the desk, for confirmation. 

“I just have to log them into the computer when you’re through, and then we can go,” Castiel said, taking the pile of completed books by Alfie.

“Uh, can I help with anything?” Dean asked after a few moments of watching both Alfie and Castiel working and feeling awkward, standing there with nothing to do. 

“Actually, yes. Can you go close the blinds in the back?” Castiel said, not looking up from his work on the computer.

“Sure,” Dean said, leaving Alfie and Cas to do as he was asked.

When he returned, Alfie was sitting on the counter, swinging his legs back and forth, and Castiel was shutting down the computer, standing from his seat and pushing his chair back in. 

“Ready to go?” Dean asked.

“I believe so,” Castiel said while taking his coat from his chair and pulling it on.

“Come on, kiddo,” Dean said, picking up Alfie from the counter and lowering him to the ground. Castiel trailed after the both of them to make sure the lights were turned off and the library doors locked behind them. Dean held open the back door of his car for Alfie to climb in, and since he was there, he opened the front passenger door for Castiel.

Castiel blushed slightly and muttered a quiet “Thank you” as he slid into his seat, Dean shutting the door behind him. Dean knew this wasn’t even remotely a date, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be gentlemanly.  He ducked into the driver’s side and turned to make sure Alfie was buckled in before putting the car in gear and driving out of the parking lot. 

“So where’re we going?” Alfie asked.

“Have you ever been to The Malt Shoppe off of 15th Street?” Dean asked.

Alfie frowned and shook his head. “No. We’ve driven by it, but Mommy says it’s too expensive. So we just go to the grocery store and buy a carton of ice cream and make shakes at home.” 

“I bet those are pretty delicious too, though,” Dean said. “But the Malt Shoppe is pretty good, so we’re going to go, my treat.”

“Yay!” Alfie cheered in the back, his hands in the air and his legs kicking out a little in front of him, meaning he kicked the back of the seat where Castiel was sitting. Castiel let out a little grunt, and Alfie rushed to apologize. “Sorry, Mr. Novak.” 

“It’s alright, Alfie.”

It wasn’t long before Dean was pulling into the parking lot of The Malt Shoppe, and Alfie was climbing out of the backseat and rushing toward the front door. There were only a few teenagers sitting in the back of the shop when Dean and Cas followed Alfie in. Alfie was already at the counter staring up at the menu of the various shakes and flavors trying to decide.

“I don’t know what to get,” Alfie said, turning back towards Dean and Cas.

“Whatever you want. They can combine flavors if you want, and you can make your own.”

“Really?” Alfie said, his eyes large, like his mind was exploding.

“Sure.”

“Do you like chocolate?” the girl behind the counter leaned over to ask Alfie, a warm smile on her face.

“Of course!” Alfie said, rolling his eyes like that was such a stupid question.

“Well, my favorite is the double chocolate brownie shake,” said the girl. 

“Hmmm,” said Alfie, tapping a finger on his chin like he was making the most important decision of his life.

Dean chuckled at Alfie, and he looked back to find Cas doing the same. Alfie continued to deliberate about his shake, and Dean took the time to step back so he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Cas. 

“This was nice of you to do,” Castiel said quietly.

Dean shrugged, “He’s a nice kid, and it sounds like he doesn’t get treats very often.”

Castiel shook his head, a slight frown visible on his lips. “His mother works several jobs, and it’s just the two of them alone. He comes to the library after school, and most weekends. It’s better than him being home alone, I suppose.”

“It is. That’s nice of you, too, Cas.”

“He’s a good kid, incredibly intelligent. He doesn’t have many friends at school from what I can tell, but he seems to be fond of you.” Cas smiled at Dean, and Dean felt his heart lurch to have that turned towards him. 

“Okay,” Alfie said loudly, spinning around to face Dean. “I know what I want.”

“Alright, buddy, let’s hear it.” Dean gestured for the employee to come closer to hear the order as well.

“I want a double chocolate brownie shake with caramel and whipped cream.” He punctuated the end of his order with a firm nod.

“What size?” the girl asked, looking towards Dean.

“Uh, let’s make it a small. Don’t want him up all night.”

“Yes, sir. Would you two like anything?”

“Yeah, I’ll take a small peanut butter chocolate banana shake, and… Cas?” 

“I’ll have a small strawberry shake,” Cas answered. 

The girl shot them a quick smile and turned away from them to get started on their shakes. When she was done she handed them over, and even gave Alfie the extra of his in another cup, to which he grinned and held it up to Dean like he’d won a prize.

The employee rang up their orders, and when Cas made to pull out his wallet, Dean patted his hand and handed the girl his own card to pay. Cas seemed a little put out by it, but he grabbed a few napkins and followed Alfie to a nearby table.

Dean thanked the girl when she handed him his receipt and grabbed his own shake to take to the table.

“Do you like it?” Dean asked Alfie, taking the chair next to Cas and across from Alfie.

“Hmm hmm,” Alfie said, his mouth full of shake. He’d already managed to get some whipped cream on his nose.

Dean snorted and handed the kid a napkin; he accepted it with a toothy grin and wiped off his nose.

“You like yours?” Dean asked, shifting to look at Cas. 

“It is good,” Cas said, “Thank you, Dean.”

“No problem.” He stared a little longer at Cas than necessary, watching a soft blush rise on his cheeks, and the way his lips sucked on the straw of his milkshake was ridiculous. He was in front of a child. _Get it together, Dean._

“Mr. Dean? I mean, Dean. Where do you work?”

“I’m a mechanic. I work at a garage where I fix cars.”

“Ohhh, cool.”

“Yeah, it is pretty cool.” 

“Which garage do you work at?” Castiel asked.

“Singer’s Garage, off of Maple.” 

“Bobby Singer, correct?”

Dean nodded.

“He brings his grandkids to the library sometimes. He’s nice.”

“When he wants to be, yeah,” Dean said with a laugh.

Dean and Cas made small talk with each other while Alife slurped down his shake. Every so often, Dean or Cas would ask Alfie a question about school or about how he liked the latest book he read, or Alfie would ask Dean questions about cars. It was nice and comfortable, and Cas seemed to be enjoying himself. 

Cas didn’t reveal too much information about himself, Dean noticed, but Dean could tell that he loved being a librarian. He explained how he had updated and essentially rebuilt their town library when he first got the job and how now it was a well-oiled machine. It was admirable, and Dean found himself liking Cas a little more than he already did.

Before too long, it was nearing the time Alfie’s mother had wanted him home. They had ended up getting some chicken strips for Alfie, to try to balance out the ice cream, and Dean was getting hungry himself.

“Time to go, bud,” Dean said, standing up from the table and gathering their trash to throw away. Castiel and Alfie mirrored his actions and made their way towards the door to Dean’s car.

“This was fun,” Alfie said, buckling himself into his seat in the back.

“It was,” Castiel agreed, giving Dean another one of those small smiles.

“Maybe we can do it again,” Dean suggested, looking in the rear view mirror to see Alfie bobbing his head so much he looked like a bobble head doll.

Castiel knew the way to Alfie’s house, luckily, since Alfie couldn’t quite remember how to get there from the malt shop. His mother had dropped him off at the library that morning, so he didn’t have his bike to ride home. It was probably for the best since it was getting dark out. 

When they pulled up to the small house that was Alfie’s, Dean and Cas walked him up to the door. Alfie’s mother answered, looking like she had just arrived home from work; her hair was up in a ponytail, and she looked tired. Alfie gave his mom’s legs a tight hug and then squeezed past her into the house. 

“Hi, Castiel,” she said. “You must be Mr. Dean.” She gave him a grin and held out her hand.

Dean shook it and returned her smile. “Dean Winchester.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Anna Milton.”

“Nice to meet you. You’ve got a great kid there,” Dean said. He looked over her shoulder to see Alfie taking off his shoes on the couch. Anna turned to follow his gaze, and her lips curled up in a proud smile. 

“He is.”

“Well, we better get going,” Dean said, not wanting to keep Anna any longer.

“Thank you for taking him to ice cream and for bring him home. Thank you, Castiel, for joining him.”

“It was no problem, Anna. Have a good night.”

“Good night,” Anna said. 

“Night, Alfie!” Dean called, and Alfie shouted back a “Bye, Dean!” in reply. “Good night,” Dean said to Anna who gave him a nod and shut the door. He and Castiel walked in silence back down the path and slid back into the car. 

“Do you need to get home, or…” Dean asked as he turned the key in the ignition. 

“I don’t… _have_ to be home any time soon,” Cas said. “What were you thinking of doing?”

“I’m kind of hungry. You?”

“Famished.” Cas gave him a sly grin.

“Let’s fix that,” Dean said getting on the road and taking Cas to Dean’s favorite place, The Roadhouse. It looked as if the place was already hopping; most of the parking lot was full, and he could hear the music from inside his car. Cas seemed a little wary of the place when he parked the car, looking up at the sign through the window.

“They’ve got great food and beer. I promise it’s worth it.” 

Cas accepted that and stepped out of the car, waiting for Dean to be by his side as they approached the bar. As soon as they stepped inside, Dean heard cheers of his name being called over the din. 

“I know the people that own the place,” Dean said, leaning closer to Cas to say it in his ear so he could be heard over the noise.

“Well if it isn’t about damn time Dean Winchester showed up,” said an older woman. She slung a towel over her shoulder and pushed a few men out of the way of the bar so she could walk around them and over to Dean.

“Hey, Ellen,” Dean said when the woman pulled him into a hug.

“It’s been a while, Dean,” she said, patting his cheek fondly.

“I’ve been busy,” Dean said with a shrug.

“Yeah, I know. That Bobby is a slave driver.” She shouted the last sentence loudly, and an answering, “No, I ain’t!” echoed out over the crowd. Dean and Ellen both laughed at it and shook their heads. Then, Ellen focused her attention to Castiel 

“I don’t think I’ve seen you here before, hon. Hi, I’m Ellen,” she said, holding out her hand, which Castiel shook.

“I’m Castiel.”

“Welcome, Castiel.”

“Cas is in charge of the library,” Dean added helpfully.

“Oh! I’ve heard about how much you’ve done for it. How about a round, on the house?” Ellen said, patting Castiel on the shoulder. She didn’t wait for an answer, though, already moving back behind the bar to grab a couple of pint glasses for Dean and Cas.

Dean spotted a table along the side that had just been cleared off, so he pulled Castiel over towards it by his arm. He waved at Ellen and pointed to the table they’re going to, so she knew where to bring the drinks. She nodded in understanding, and by the time Dean and Cas had slid into the booth, Ellen was setting the two pints of beer down on the table in front of them.

“I’m guessing you boys want some food, too, right?” she asked, handing them both a menu.

“You’re the best, Ellen,” Dean said with a wink.

“I know. Just holler when you’re ready,” she said, leaving Dean and Cas to look over the menu.

“What’s good?” Castiel said, staring at the menu, much the same way Alfie had stared at the menu at the malt shop.

“Everything. The onion rings are amazing, and I usually get the bacon cheeseburger. It’s messy as hell, but delicious.”

“That sounds good. I think I’ll get that.”

“Hey,” Dean shouted, facing the bar to try to wave down Ellen. Unfortunately, she was busy helping someone else, so she waved another girl nearby over to where Dean was.

“What’dya decide?” the girl said, pulling out a pad of paper and pen from her apron pocket. 

“Two bacon cheeseburgers and an order of onion rings,” Dean answered. 

“Coming right up,” the girl said, jotting down their order and leaving to put it into the kitchen.

“Is it like this every night?” Castiel leaned forward to ask, eyeing the crowd of people near the bar.

“Just on the weekends usually.”

“Do you come here a lot?”

“I haven’t been in a month or so, but I used to come in quite a bit. Ellen is an old family friend.”

“So, you’re from around here?”

“Mostly. My family moved around a lot when we were younger, but most of my growing up years were here. Left for a little while, and then came back. Can’t seem to get away from this place.” Dean chuckled. It’s not like he minded being back in the small town, but sometimes having everyone know you and your history got to be a bit much. 

“What about you, Cas? I’m guessing you’re not from here?”

“No. I… grew up on the East Coast. My family didn’t necessarily approve of my choice of vocation, and I decided I need a change of pace, so I got the job here at the library.” 

“Didn’t approve?”

“My family is very much about money and status. A librarian doesn’t exactly bring in a large income.” Castiel took a sip of his beer, looking down at the table as he spoke. Dean wasn’t sure what to say in comment to him. He felt like he should say something like “well who needs them,” but he didn’t know Cas well enough to know how that would go over. 

Luckily, Ellen came right then with their order.

“Here ya go, boys, fresh from the kitchen,” she said setting down their plates of burgers and fries. Before Dean could open his mouth, Ellen was already setting down a bottle of ketchup in front of him. 

“Thanks, Ellen,” Dean said, grinning up at her.

“You need anything, hon?” she asked, turning to Castiel.

“No. Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome. You need another round, you know where to find me.” She patted Dean on the shoulder before leaving them alone. 

“This looks good,” Castiel said. He picked up the burger with both hands and eyed it like he didn’t quite know how to attack it with his mouth.

Dean, however, had already taken a large mouthful and was chewing when he said, “‘s the best.” Castiel shrugged, seemingly resigned to the fact there was no appropriate way to eat such a monstrosity, and brought it up to his face and took a large bite. He chewed slowly, his brows furrowed, like he was analyzing every part as he rolled the flavors around in his mouth. When he finally swallowed, he looked satisfied, like he approved, and took another bite.

They spent a few minutes in silence as they enjoyed their food, with Dean pouring far too much ketchup on his plate to dip his fries and onion rings into. He pushed the plate over a little to indicate that Cas could use some, and Castiel smiled in acceptance, dipping a few of his fries into the sauce on Dean’s plate before eating them.

“So, how long have you lived here?” Dean asked to break up the silence while they ate.

Castiel looked up in concentration, as if calculating in his head, “It’ll be two years come next month.”

“And you’ve never been here?!” Dean asked, completely flabbergasted. The Roadhouse was a town staple, and he was sure everyone in their little town who’d been there longer than a few months would have been there.

Castiel looked down sheepishly and shrugged. “I spend a lot of time at the library. I don’t… I don’t go out much, or… know a lot of people.”

Dean couldn’t hide his surprise. “A good-looking guy like you? Impossible.” At the comment, Castiel blushed, and Dean found it, dare he say it, cute.

“I meet people at the library, but… they are more like acquaintances.”

“Seemed like a few wouldn’t mind being more,” Dean said, internally wincing because he probably shouldn’t have mentioned him noticing something like that. It meant he was… watching himself, and how embarrassing was that?

Castiel gave a half smile and nodded. “Some, I’m sure, would. But… they aren’t… exactly my type.” He said it quietly like he was admitting a secret, which if Dean took it to mean what he thought, it was.

Before Dean could say something else, ask if Castiel was implying they weren’t his type because he wasn’t straight, Ellen came back to their table.

“How you boys liking it? Need a refill?” She asked eying their half empty mugs and plates. 

Dean shook his head and so did Castiel. “It’s great as always,” Dean said with a smile. “Thanks, Ellen.” 

“You two wanting separate checks?” Ellen asked, gathering up the empty basket of onion rings and Dean’s empty plate. Castiel silently indicated that he was through as well, and she stacked his plate on top of the others.

“Nah,” Dean said, “I’ll take care of it.” He pulled out his wallet and handed a couple bills to Ellen. She gave him a wink as she stuffed the money in the pocket of her apron and walked away from the table. He figured it should be enough to cover both their food and drinks and Ellen could keep the rest. 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Castiel said, frowning. “I can pay you back.” He leaned forward to reach for his wallet.

Dean held a hand up to stop him. “Don’t worry about it, Cas. It was my treat. You can get it next time.”

Cas’s gaze lifted from the table to Dean and slow smile grew on his face as he slowly nodded. “Next time,” he said quietly, looking back down at the table, and Dean was pretty sure he was blushing again. 

“Well, Cas, I would love to keep talking and stay here with you longer, but I unfortunately have to go into work early tomorrow.” He slid out of the booth and Cas followed behind them, both exiting the bar to climb into Dean’s car 

Cas’s brow furrowed. “The shop is opening on Sundays?” 

“Nope. I… kinda promised I’d work extra to make up for me being late and leaving early today.” Cas hummed in understanding. “Your car’s back at the library, yeah?”

Cas nodded. “Yes, if you could drop me back off there, I would appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as Dean drove back through town to the library. It wasn’t a long drive, and Dean regretted that, regretted that he couldn’t spend more time with Castiel. He felt like they were hitting it off, enjoying themselves, but Cas was quiet and only revealed bits and pieces of his personality here and there. Dean longed to find out more, wanted to crack the shell that surrounded him to find out what was underneath. But, unfortunately, he’d have to do that another night.

Dean pulled up to the library, driving and parking next to the lone car in the lot.

“Thank you for dinner,” Castiel said, unbuckling his seatbelt and reaching for the door handle. “And for what you did for Alfie. He… I can tell he likes you, and I’m sure Anna appreciated your kindness.

Dean shrugged, not being able to take the praise and thoughtfulness well. “He seems like a good kid, and he helped me out yesterday, so I kinda owed him.” 

Castiel looked questioning at Dean. “How did he help?” 

Dean’s eyes glanced upward and he rubbed the back of his neck. Should he just admit what he was trying to do at the library yesterday? Should he confess to wanting to ask Castiel out but was too nervous and dumbfounded upon finally meeting him that some ten-year-old had to assist him?

“He helped me find you,” Dean said instead. 

“Ah,” Castiel replied. “I’m glad. Alfie is very helpful.” Dean nods. “Thank you, again. Goodnight, Dean.” He climbed out of the car, and just before he shut the door, he added, “I hope you enjoy those books.” 

Dean had almost forgotten about those, had thrown them in the back of his car before he rushed off to work. He watched Castiel get in his car and give a small wave to Dean, which he returned, before driving away.

On the way home, Dean realized that while Cas had seemed interested in a next time, they hadn’t made plans, and Dean had not gotten his phone number. Granted he could look up the number to the library, but the idea of calling Castiel at work to ask him out again didn’t sit right with him, seeing as how he couldn’t bring himself to flirt with Cas at the library earlier.

Looks like he’d just have to find some other way.


	4. Chapter 4

“ _Dean_ , _ahhh_ … we can’t…”

“Shhhh, Cas, we’re in the library. Have to be quiet in here.” Dean’s voice was soft and low, breath hot against his ear.

“I know, that’s why we… _hmmmm_ ,” Cas cut himself off with a moan. Dean had him pressed against the bookshelf in the back corner of the library.

Cas was positive there wasn’t anyone in close proximity, or else this would not have started in the first place, but he couldn’t be sure. All he could see was the edge of the metal shelf, his hands gripped tight onto it, and the row of historical fiction books in front of him. He looked down, and his pants were unbuttoned, zipper partially down and a bulge in his underwear that Dean was palming.

“God, Cas, you look so good. I’ve been wanting to touch you like this for so long.” Dean’s words sent a shiver down Cas’s spine, and he pushed back against Dean, feeling a similar bulge in Dean’s pants pressing into his ass.

“Dean, I--” Suddenly, Dean turned him around so they were facing each other and sealed his mouth around Castiel’s. It was hot and wet, open-mouthed with their tongues sliding against each other. Castiel found himself pressing closer to Dean, wrapping his arms around his neck and letting out soft moans when Dean moved from his mouth to his neck. 

Now that they were facing each other, Castiel noticed that Dean’s pants were still buttoned and looked slightly uncomfortable. Trying to help, Castiel fumbled with the waistband of them, trying to work the button of the jeans open. It was difficult with Dean distracting him with kisses and nips to his jaw and neck and with very little space between them.

Dean chuckled and grabbed Castiel’s hands, stilling them. “Don’t worry about it, Cas. I want to take care of you first. Can I?” he asked, one hand moving to palm Cas again through his underwear.

“Yes,” Cas said, breathless. He watched a small smile form on Dean’s lips, and the bit his own bottom lip to hold back a whimper at the feeling of Dean’s hand slipping into his underwear, skin on skin. 

Just as Cas was getting used to the feeling, Dean building up a slow rhythm as he moved his hand up and down, a tight pressure all around Cas--

The fire alarm went off.

~

Castiel jolted out of bed with a gasp, glaring at what was his alarm clock, _not_ the fire alarm of the library, bleating loudly. He begrudgingly turned it off, frowning at being woken up in the middle of what was turning out to be a rather pleasant dream. A new, exciting, and kind of different dream. 

It was the first time that he had dreamt about someone so vividly. He could still feel the phantom heat and pressure of Dean, and he knew he was going to have to… take care of things in the shower. But, still, he had dreamed about sex in the library, but more importantly sex _with Dean_.

He didn’t even really know the man all that well, although anyone could see he was attractive. And, Cas could tell Dean liked him, flirted with him a little, and unlike the divorcees and single women that did the same to him at the library, Cas didn’t mind the advances coming from Dean. 

Their dinner at the Roadhouse had been several nights ago, and Castiel hadn’t seen Dean again at the library since. Not that he was expecting Dean to come visit all the time now, but Castiel wouldn’t have minded. But, Dean had a job, a life, one that did not revolve around checking out books or coming to see the librarian, so Castiel tried to not let it bother him. 

His dream though. His dream stayed with him throughout his morning while he got ready, as he drove to work, and especially later on in the day when he was reshelving books in the section he had dreamt about.

The more he thought about the dream and subsequently Dean, the more Castiel realized that he liked Dean, at least enough to want to explore a relationship with him if he was willing. He thought Dean might be up for it, given that he suggested they go out again later, but Castiel had no way of contacting Dean to schedule that “next time” they had discussed.

He thought about calling the shop where he knew Dean worked but decided against it as it would be rather inappropriate to distract Dean when he should be working. Of course he _technically_ did have Dean’s phone number, well the library did as it was in the system that Castiel used for overdue books. But, it was a flagrant misuse of his position, and even if Dean wouldn’t have minded, he didn’t want to take the risk that he might.

As the week wore on and there was still no sign of Dean, even Alfie had asked him if he’d seen the man, Castiel was on the brink of desperation. He hadn’t dreamed about being in flagrante with Dean in the library again, but he had dreamt about Dean, it was snippets really, flashbacks to their sort of kind of date, what might have happened had they stayed longer, if Dean had taken him home instead of the library.

All it did was make Castiel long to see Dean again, ask him out, or say yes if Dean asked first. He had had a connection with Dean, and it wasn’t until he had gotten home after their meal that he had realized it. He regretted not pushing the issue, asking for Dean’s number, scheduling another date, insisting that they get another beer. He’s sure Dean wouldn’t have resisted, would have given in to Castiel’s request even if he did have to get up early for work the next day.

But maybe he would have? He hadn’t been by the library at all that week, and when Castiel had been out, his assistant didn’t have any messages for him or told him of anyone that had come in looking for him. So maybe Dean hadn’t been as invested in getting to know Castiel as he had thought? Maybe after their dinner, he realized Castiel wasn’t really his type, that Castiel wasn’t someone he wanted to get to know more. 

It was difficult not to assume what Dean might have been thinking, about his reasoning for why he hadn’t contacted him, but Cas tried his best to stay professional, to not get his hopes up every time someone walked through the doors, when he heard the purr of an engine that could be Dean’s car pull into the lot. He would smile and shrug and say he wasn’t sure when Alfie asked him where Mr. Dean was, if they were going to have ice cream again. Alfie would frown and nod and go back to his reading or stamping books.

If Dean really was interested, he knew where to find Cas, and Cas would be waiting.


	5. Chapter 5

The third time it happened, it was totally and completely on purpose.

Dean felt like a grade A douche, and every time he thought up a reason to go to the library (why did he even need a reason any more?), he’d back out. It was true, he had gotten busy. Ash had gotten sick, so the only knowledgable mechanic at Bobby’s was Dean, and he had to pick up the slack while Ash recovered from whatever the hell it was he had (it was bad enough that Bobby made a face and refused to say what it was).

That week following his sort of kind of date with Cas was spent at the garage and then going home and passing out, only to wake up to repeat the process. With the long hours, he missed when the library was open, and he couldn’t bring himself to drive over there on his lunch break either, feeling as exhausted as he was.

Part of him was miffed that Castiel hadn’t tried to contact him. He knew where Dean worked; hell, he had Dean’s number in his computer! But then, he remembered his own hesitance about calling Castiel at work and figured Cas felt the same way about it. He probably thought getting Dean’s number from the library system was an abuse of power or something. He might not know Cas well, but he could tell Cas was serious about his job.

By the end of the week, Dean hadn’t made it to the library, and by the weekend, which Bobby blissfully gave him off, Sam and Jess had invited him to their house for the weekend to see Mary’s dance recital and celebrate her birthday. He had the stray thought of inviting Cas, but after a week of no contact, he thought it would be too soon to spring meeting his family and spending the weekend with them at the last minute. Plus he was still feeling guilty about the no contact part despite his legitimate excuse.

When Dean had returned home from a nice weekend with his family and Ash was recovered and back at the garage, Dean tried to get back into a routine and figure out a way to both apologize to Cas for the radio silence and make it to the library to give him that apology. Only Dean couldn’t find the right words, and he was still working too late to make it to the library before they closed.

And then he remembered the books that Castiel had recommended to him, still sitting in his backseat unread. When he found them, the idea dawned on him. 

He used what little free-time he had that week to read the books, skimming the ones he found uninteresting (because he still wanted to tell Cas he read them and tried to give them a chance), and staying up late devouring the ones he couldn’t put down. Most of the ones Castiel had given him were the latter variety, and he couldn’t wait to talk about them with Castiel and thank him for the recommendations. He’s not sure he’d ever read so much in his life; even Bobby had caught him reading by a stack of tires and chewed him out for slacking off (he was on his break!).

When the due date to return the books arrived, Dean had finished them all, but he had no intention of returning them to the library. No, he was going to wait, wait until Castiel called him to inform him they were overdue.


	6. Chapter 6

Bright and early Monday morning, Castiel opened the library and sat at the computer to do his usual tasks: go through requests, acquire any books through interlibrary loan they might need, inform people holding a book that their book was ready for them, and call all the people who had overdue books.

As he loaded the list of names he should call, one appeared that he was both surprised and unsurprised about. Against his better judgment, he called that name first.

“ _Hello?_ ” the voice on the other end sounded groggy, like he’d just been woken up. Good. 

“Hello, Dean. This is--” 

“ _Cas?!_ _Oh my god, finally, I mean uh heya Cas, what’s up?_ ” Dean’s voice sounded decidedly more awake now. 

“Yes, this is Castiel. I’m calling to inform you that you have several books that are late. If you could please return them by Wednesday, you can avoid a late fee.” Cas knew he was being rather cold with Dean, but he was still a little bitter that Dean hadn’t so much as left a note for two weeks. He’s sure Dean could hear the unpleased tone in his voice, and he didn’t feel bad about it.

“ _Yeah, right, of course. I’ll turn ‘em in no problem. Hey, um, Cas?”_

“Yes, Dean?”

_“I… Look, I know I messed up and I have some valid excuses, but you probably don’t want to hear ‘em. And I should have called or something but… I’m sorry. I really am. I like you and I meant what I said about getting together again. So… if you… if you still want to, we could…  I mean, do you want to?”_

All the anger toward Dean melted from Cas, and he felt a little guilty for putting all the blame on Dean when he just as easily could have contacted him. He could tell Dean was being sincere, that he was hoping Castiel would forgive him, give him another chance, and really, it was what Cas was waiting for.

“Yes, I do. I… like you, too. I’m sorry for being short with you before; I was disappointed I hadn’t heard from you.”

“ _Ah man, Cas, I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. Are you… free tonight?_ ”

Castiel smiled at how eager Dean was. “I have to close the library at six, but after that I’m available.”

 _“Awesome. I’ll come by and drop off these books and get you for dinner? Is that okay?_ ”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

 _“Me too. I better get ready for work._ ”

“Right. I should probably get back to it.” 

Dean laughed softly on the other line. _“See you tonight, Cas. Oh, and Cas?”_

“Yes?”

 _“Save this number in your phone.”_  

Cas bit his bottom lip. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight, Dean.” 

“ _Bye, Cas._ ”

He hung up the phone with a contented sigh. Even though he had a few other people to call, he instead pulled out his own cell phone and saved Dean’s number as he had requested first. Now he didn’t have an excuse for not calling him because of a technicality.

~

The rest of the day went by routinely, checking out books, checking in books, shelving and organizing. But his assistant noticed he seemed happier, and even Alfie when he came by after school commented that Castiel was humming to himself.

“My grandpa does that when he’s thinking about my grandma,” Alfie said, coming to stand next to Castiel while he was putting away a slew of children’s books. 

“Oh?”

“Uh huh. Like he gets this kind of dreamy far-off look, like he’s picturing her in the room, and then he’ll close his eyes and kind of hum. You got someone you’re picturing, Mr. Novak?” 

Castiel stopped and looked down at Alfie and smiled. “Not particularly, but I have plans this evening that I am looking forward to, so maybe that’s it.”

Alfie squinted his eyes like he was thinking. “What kind of plans?”

He knew Alfie was being curious not prying, he was only ten after all, and he tried to remember that when he answered. “I believe they are dinner plans.”

“Like a date?”

Castiel quirked his head in thought. They hadn’t quite said outright that it was a date, but they had both admitted they liked each other. “I think it might be?”

Alfie grinned knowingly. “Did Mr. Dean finally talk to you?” 

Castiel straightened, turning from the shelf of books to face Alfie, who was definitely smirking like he knew what was going on; what a cheeky ten-year-old! “How do you know my plans are with Mr. Dean?”

Alfie shrugged. “You’ve been kind of… well not angry, but sad every time I’ve asked about him ever since we had ice cream, but today you are humming and happy. It was a hypothesis.” 

Cas furrowed his brow. “Oh?” 

Alfie bobbed his head. “Yeah, I was guessing. I’m a pretty smart kid, you know.”

Laughing, Castiel nodded and patted his head. “Yes, you are. And yes, my plans are with Dean. He should be here soon, actually, since we’re about to close up.” 

“Cool,” Alfie said. “I’m going to pack up my stuff then.” 

Castiel watched him leave to gather up his homework and backpack and then turned to finish shelving the stack he had. The rest he could finish tomorrow because if he was being honest, now that Dean was coming any minute, he was nervous and couldn’t concentrate on completing his work.

When he had finished and returned to the main desk, his assistant had already left for the day, the computer off, blinds closed and back door locked. The only thing left for Castiel to do was to gather his things from the office and lock the main doors on his way out. To go to dinner with Dean.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean pulled up to the front curb of the library, smiling to himself as he got out, books under his arm, to find Alfie standing in front, bike propped next to him.

“How’s it going? Long time, no see, buddy,” Dean said, holding out his hand.

“Took you long enough,” Alfie huffed, slapping Dean’s hand.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Dean said around a wince.

“It’s okay. You just owe me more ice cream now.”

Dean laughed. “It’s a deal.”

“Better use the slot for those,” Alfie said, pointing to the small pile of books under Dean’s arm.

“Yeah?” Dean had kind of wanted to go in, talk to Cas a little before they headed out, but Alfie hadn’t led him astray when it came to Cas yet. 

“Mr. Novak is locking things up and getting his stuff. He should be out here pretty soon. He… I’m glad you’re taking him out. He’s been kind of sad lately.” Dean frowned; he had been worried about that. “But, he’s been really happy today, ‘cause of you. He told me.”

“Oh, did he now?”

Alfie nodded. “Yeah. So, don’t mess it up.” He put his hands on his lips, face stern, as he tried to make it seem threatening. But, it was something hard to do when it was coming from so young a kid. Dean, though, stiffened, taking it seriously.

“I won’t. I promise.”

The boy narrowed his eyes, as if he were trying to read Dean, to see if he were lying, and satisfied he gave a firm nod and climbed on his bike.

“Alright then. Have fun with Mr. Novak. I’ll see you later!” He waved and pedaled off in the direction of his house.

“Bye!” Dean called out after him, waving even though the kid was long gone.

It was while he was waving that Castiel emerged from the library.

“Hello, Dean,” Castiel said, voice low and happy, and God, did Dean love that voice.

“Hey, Cas. Ready to go?”

Castiel shifted his bag higher on his shoulder. “I am.”

Dean shoved the books into the book return slot, dusted off his hands, and grinned. “Me too. Shall we?” he asked, waving his hand with a flourish.

Castiel rolled his eyes, which Dean was positive was with fondness, and took Dean’s hand and laced their fingers together. Dean tried to act calm and casual, but Cas was holding his hand and his heart was flipping.

“Let’s go, Dean.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, guiding Cas to his car and opening the passenger side for him. He walked around the back to get to his side, but stopped for a second to fist pump the air. It might have just been hand holding, but Dean was excited for the possibilities that lay before him and for his evening with Castiel.

“I saw that,” Castiel smirked when Dean finally climbed in. 

Dean flushed and shook his head. “No you didn’t. I didn’t do anything. You saw nothing.” He was internally facepalming at his stupidity. 

Castiel laughed and leaned over, giving Dean a peck on the cheek. “It was cute.” He patted Dean’s leg. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

A little dazed, Dean grinned and bobbed his head as he started the car and drove out of the lot. This evening was already off to a great start, and Dean couldn’t wait to see how the rest played out.

~

The evening ended with a good night kiss in front of the library. 

~ 

The next month ended with Castiel getting his wish and christening, of all places, the romance section of the library. It was after hours, and according to Dean, no one would be the wiser.

But Cas felt guilty and had the carpets cleaned sooner than usual anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [my tumblr](http://literaryoblivion.tumblr.com) or [my twitter](http://twitter.com/lit_oblivion).


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